April 11, 2009

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - Freshman Michael Wido (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) had four hits on the day as the Lewis baseball team split a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader with Kentucky Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon at Brennan Field. Lewis took the first game 9-3 before falling 3-2 in the second.

Lewis got on the board first in game one with a run in the second. Junior Scott Householder (Berwyn, Ill./St. Josephs/Triton) advanced to second on a fly ball that was misplayed by the Panthers' left fielder. Householder proceeded to steal third on a late jump when seeing the third baseman was charging in expecting a bunt.

A deep sacrifice fly by senior Tim Bingham (Plainfield, Ill./Westland, Mi./John Glenn) to right field scored Householder.

The Flyers opened it up in the third inning with seven runs. The first eight batters of the inning reached base to ignite the push. Freshman Cameron Anello (Homer Glen, Ill./Brother Rice) and sophomore Richard Forkin (Orland Park, Ill./Lockport) each had a single with the bases loaded to knock in two runs.

Lewis added a run in the fifth to make it a 9-0 game on a Michael Beier (Lowell, Ind./Lowell/IU Northwest) single. It stayed that way until the seventh when the Panthers added three runs with two outs to thwart senior Chris Brigham (Bolingbrook, Ill./Romeoville)'s (Bolingbrook, Ill./Romeoville) shutout attempt. Brigham got the final out of the seventh to get the win and improve his record to 4-3, allowing five hits, three walks and three runs in seven innings.

After four scoreless innings to start game two the Panthers broke through in the fifth with a run on a two-out single to score Chris Smith who walked. Kentucky Wesleyan added two out runs in the sixth and seventh to make it a 3-0 game.

A chopper by Mike Vucsko (Evergreen Park, Ill./Marist) to second with the bases loaded scored the Flyers' first run of the game in the seventh. A passed ball scored senior Jeffrey Ithal (Alsip, Ill./Shepard/MacMurray College) from third to make it 3-2. However a Chris McCall (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park-River Forest/College of DuPage CC) groundout ended the inning. It was McCall's only official at bat of the game after walking twice and being hit by a pitch in his three previous turns at the plate.

Householder led off the eighth by reaching on a Kentucky Wesleyan error. He stole second but was stranded at third to end the inning.

Pinch hitter Ryan Wischhover (Palos Heights, Ill./Brother Rice) hit a one out-single in the ninth but was stranded at second to end the game.

"The bats went cold this weekend," head coach Tim McDonough said. "We had one good offensive inning."

Sophomore Charles Gille (Rockford, Ill./Boylan Catholic) threw 5.1 innings, allowing two earned runs and six hits. His record falls to 0-2.

"We lost three one run games this weekend and when you're at home you have to find a way to grind those out," McDonough said. "We just didn't do it."

Kentucky Wesleyan is now 10-29 (6-14 GLVC). Lewis is 15-19 (3-12 GLVC). The Flyers host Saint Xavier on Tuesday in a non-conference contest at 3 p.m.